Of Monsters and Kids
by heavymetalqueen26
Summary: Genetic experiments are set loose by their creators when the program is shut down, no one expected the only survivors to end up with a bunch of teens. No one is really sure who is more shocked; Jeri or Beelzebub; and no one is sure who is more pleased; Ai, Mako, or Leo. They're stuck together now either way, not much is going to change that without a fight.


AU Idea: Digimon are mutants grown in a lab, after the government shuts down the program they leading scientist send their creations away hoping for them to find safety. They end up with a bunch of young teens instead.

Image credit: Leomon and Katou Juri by sandikarakhim on DA

Ok, I can't stop and I need help. Why do I always do things for dead fandoms? Why can't I be more involved in active and larger fandoms? Anyways, the kids are about 5 years older in this AU and Mon isn't at the end of all the digimon's names cause they ain't digimon no more. Author notes are done, thank you.

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><p>It had been so stupid, they had thought that they could get away with creating life. They did in a way; their creations were alive and they got away. Shibumi sighed as he was hulled into the police vehicle, their creations were alive but crippled.<p>

To keep such powerful being in control and not wipe out the current human population they had an instinct installed into their DNA. It was a good idea at the time, but the circumstances made their chance of survival incredibly slim. They couldn't fend for themselves, couldn't fight off the government agents. The creations needed a human partner, one to take care of them and in turn the creations would protect and grow stronger for their partner. The program was shut down before the scientist could even delegate partners to their creations. Leaving the creatures unstable and vulnerable. Swallowing Shibumi shook his head, he could only hope for the best now.

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><p>Jeri sighed as she continued her walk to her job with her hands clasped behind her back. Tilting her head back to look at the sky she mused that she wouldn't really call it a job. She didn't mind looking after the twins, it was just that the children' parents were too busy to spend time with the two seven year old kids most of the time. And she had homework tonight that the two would no doubt not let her finish up until she got home at a late hour.<p>

Bouncing up slightly to readjust her backpack, the familiar dog puppet bounced against the back of her skirt. She focused on her light yellow shoes, the heels clicking on the thick pavement. She had heard sirens again, the cars zooming down the street not a block away from her, biting her lips she tried to ignore them. She knew that they lived in the city, but there were never as many sirens blaring as there had been today. Her eyes were soon drawn to the large figure approaching from the alley way. It may have been broad daylight, but she wasn't like Rika. She wasn't that strong or smart, so she shifted farther away from the alley and the imposing figure.

Sweating nervously as her shoulder length brown hair seemed to stick to the back of her neck she speed up her pace praying that the man wouldn't notice her. Glancing at the figure from the corner of her eye she was shocked, to say the least, when animal like eyes looked right at her. Gasping she paused and pressed her back against the fence. Eyes widening as the figure lumbered closer to back road with labored breath.

The creature was large, nearly 7 feet tall. Golden hair covered his toned body, as did a sheen of sweat. Stark gray blue eyes stood out against the large golden main. Cat like ears pinned against his skull, the left's cuff glimmering in the afternoon light. He looked like a beast, something out of an anime her younger brother would like. More lion than man, he slumped against the wall staring at her. Her eyes going lower, past his chiseled chest to his olive green pants and clawed limbs. Red necklace standing out against his fur as he took in labored breaths. Her eyes widened as he slid to the ground.

She loosened her grip on her backpack, the poor thing was hurt. Clenching her jaw and squaring her shoulders she moved to him. It could have been some awful trap, something to make her lower her guard, but she kept moving despite her swimming thoughts. Keeping a close eye on the being she stood before him with shaky knees. Squatting down she moved her backpack off her shoulders, the thump of the cream bag hitting the ground echoed in her ears. He hadn't moved yet, he just kept staring at her she noted with a rough swallow.

After unzipping the bag she pulled out a light pink water bottle. Smiling she held it out for him, "Here."

"You're such a tiny thing," The creature muttered at he took the bottle from her gently, ignoring how she jumped at the sudden sound. The bottle looked so tiny in his hands, but it looked huge in her own. He wondered just how she could carry it as he took a drink. The cool liquid calming his nerves, his muscles slowly relaxing. Eyeing the girl he wondered which was the cause of his sudden good turn of health. He didn't think water or company could solve crippling illnesses that made walking near impossible.

"Excuse me?" Jeri breathed. Her face heating up as she tried to figure out just what was going on. She knew she was small, but she wasn't that much smaller than the other teens her age. Sure she must have been tiny to a large lion man who was nearly twice her height, but she wasn't that small.

The lion creature tilted his head, "You're so tiny, and the world is so big. How can you stand it?" He didn't understand why but all the sudden her small stature deeply disturbed him. He didn't like how fragile her physical body was. Frowning his brows he tried to figure out why.

He was right, she was barely up to his chest and he looked like he could throw her across town with ease. Looking up she shrugged. "You get used to it, there are some people even smaller than me."

Shrieking at the sudden movement she gripped his shoulder as his arms hooked behind her knee and lower back. Slowly she realized he was just cradling her, like a child. Jeri tried not to think about the last time she had been held like that so many years ago. She could feel the muscles ripple as the being stared her down with such a concerned face.

She tried not to think about how soft his voice was when he a frowned and asked hurriedly, "Am I hurting you?"

"No, no. You just surprised me." She stuttered as she shook her head. Dizziness took her by surprise, she knew that she hadn't been held in a long time but this was ridiculous. Smiling at him she waited for him to set her back on the ground just a foot under her.

The creature rumbled before setting her on the ground gently. Placing a hand over her chest she watched with wide eyes as he shifted forward so that he kneeled before her on one knee. His face now level with her's, something shined in his eyes that reminded her of her father.

"I'm sorry I scared you." He rumbled keeping eye contact with the tiny girl. "I'm Leo, and I'm not sure why, but I feel like I need to protect you."

Jeri blinked at that.

Leo tilted his head, eyes darting up to the sky asking for some answers. He didn't know much at all but he knew what he was going to say next sounded slightly deranged. "I don't know exactly what I am, all I know is that I have to protect you. I know I'm A-24, I don't know what that means, but I think I'm supposed to be with you."

Jeri suddenly laughed, her hands cupping her mouth as she tried to stifle the sound. It sounded so bizarre, like something right out of the movies instead of real life. She wasn't sure if it was the dizziness talking or if she was just too confused to even care anymore, but she tugged on his hand. Not waiting to see if some hidden cameras would just appear she decided it was best to keep going with it. "Come on, let's go to Ai and Mako's. Maybe there is someone I can call someone about this."

Leo nodded, not sure who these two were but he would follow this little thing. He wondered if there was a word to describe what she meant to him. Child and partner came into his mind even though he had met her but a minute ago. Nodding he decided those were perfect terms for the small being before him, she was his child and partner. It warmed his insides thinking about it like so. It made a small smile spread across his muzzle as he stared down at her.

Standing up he didn't let go of the little hand. His eyes marveling at how it seemed so tiny in comparison to his own bulky clawed one. He shook his head mane flying into his face as he marveled at the fact how he no longer felt weak. He felt as if he could move mountains and part seas. Eyeing the little girl with her green sweater and black skirt he wondered just what kind of power she had. Either way he followed her like a duckling to their destination.

Jeri didn't know what suddenly happened, one second she was walking to her babysitting job the next she had some monster whose antics reminded her of a lost child more than a monster. She mused it was probably for the best since she had no idea what to do with him. She just hoped that Ai and Maco wouldn't be upset about it. Knowing the two she doubted it.

Leo growled lowly pulling Jeri closer to him when he smelled something, keeping her tucked at his side he sniffed the air again. It wasn't something that he knew but it was dangerous, he knew that much. It smelled dark and poisonous. He didn't want his partner near it. He didn't move even when she called his name and patted his hand. His eyes set on the seemingly normal house, his partner wasn't going in. He turned to tell her so when he paused at the already open door and key in her hand.

Jeri giggled, "This is Ai and Maco's home, I babysit them." She waved her hand and dragged him inside, "Come on." His face told her that he would prefer not to. Laughing again at him she patted his arm before reassuring, "Stay here, I'll be right back."

"But partner," Leo started with a frown. Should he call her child or partner, both worked but he couldn't just switch between the two at will. That just seemed silly to him.

"My names Jeri, Leo," She teased with a smile, "They're just kids, the worse they can do is mess up my hair. You're silly."

Leo frowned at that, he wasn't silly. Standing in place he did as his partner instructed. Not without testing her name out slowly. "Jeri..."

Giggling she took off her shoes and left her backpack on a chair. Her eyes scanned over the note left for her by the twins' parents. The two wouldn't be home til much later and as always food was in the fridge. There couldn't have been too much time between when the two younger got off the bus and her arrival. Continuing her way around the home she wondered to the backyard, the most likely place for the two small kids. Sliding open the back door she greeted the dog hiding in the dog house and called out, "Ai, Mako, are you out here?"

"Jeri!" The two cried excitedly. Ai running up to her from behind the lone tree in the backyard. Her hair put up in pigtails by two pink ribbons and her little blue dress messy from the outdoors, she jumped at Jeri with a wide grin.

"Jeri, Jeri, you won't believe what we found!" Ai shouted as she bounced up and down. Tugging on Jeri's hand she moved for the older girl to follow her.

Jeri nodded with an amused smile, she highly doubted it would be as strange as what she found.

Mako stood beside the tree, his tan shorts standing out against his black shirt. Pointing at what they found behind the tree he breathed, "Over here, over here. Jeri, hurry!"

Jeri stalled with the sight she was met with, she had been wrong. It was stranger. She had been expecting some sort of wounded animal, not some demonic looking creature. Three emerald green eyes looked into her own. Wrapped in leather and metal with his winged back against the tree sat the most terrifying man she had ever seen. His eyes judging her from under some sort of fanned helmet. His clawed hands rested on his triangular knee pads.

"Who are you, cream puff?" He asked. His voice shocked Jeri. It was raspy, not deep and rumbling like Leo's. It sent a shiver down her spine, and not the good kind she read about in romances.

Shaking her head she turned to Ai who tugged on her shirt. The little girl speaking up, "He's hungry and hurt, Jeri."

"Oh," Jeri started before a smile bloomed on her face. She was just starting to assume that all of this was just a dream. There was no way this sort of thing happened in real life, nope. "Well then we should get him so food, then."

The two children cheered, enthusiastically they started to drag the large demonic man towards the house. Jeri stayed ahead of the trio, her head continuing to spin. Nodding she agreed this had to be some sort of strange dream, she decided to ignore the fact how you didn't know when you were dreaming when you were dreaming.

Pulling out food from the fridge she called for Leo, the creature hurrying into the room. His face relaxing when he saw her, smiling he moved to rest a hand on her head. Curious eyes watching as she stuffed the rectangular containers in a box of some kind that beeped. His attention soon turned to the three entering the room. The scent from before heavy and thick, making his skin crawl. Scooping up Jeri he growled as he cradled her in the crook of his arm.

Ai and Mako gasped, their faces in awe before turning into pouts. Pointing they ordered, "You put Jeri down, bad cat!"

Jeri tried to hold in a laugh, especially when Leo balked at the name and the demonic man was stuck between laughing and growling. Patting at Leo's chest reassuringly she introduced the two children, "This is Ai and Mako, I'm looking after them."

"And getting me food," The demon man grumbled hastily. His green eyes kept on Leo and his shoulders taught. Clawed hands flexed and his teeth bared, but he didn't move from the spot as Ai and Mako pulled at his tail.

"Don't go ordering my Jeri around, monster," Leo growled back, still keeping himself between the Jeri and the others. Ears pulled back and tail lashing behind him, he wondered if he should reach for his knife and dispose of the monster before it could hurt his Jery.

"Beelze isn't being mean!" Mako countered, his little cheeks heated as he balled his fists, "Your the one trying to take Jeri!"

Jeri intervened again, "Leo's just being protective." Nodding she let the children process it, their faces lighting up as they understood what she was trying to say. She felt the situation dissolve, the tension in the room wispping away as the two monstrous being's shoulders relaxed. Most of her dreams weren't this dramatic.

"Like a daddy!" Ai clapped her hands excitedly, "We've never met Jeri's daddy!"

Mako gasped on the other side of Beelze, no they hadn't. Letting go of Beelze's pant leg, he hurried over to the large lion monster of a man. Face bright but stern he offered his hand, "Hi, Jeri's daddy, I'm Mako!"

As Ai began to take off as well Beelzebub successfully scooped her up before she could also run to the other being in the room. He may have aimed a little too high to catch Mako, but he wasn't going to let Ai also run into potential danger. It irked him that he felt the need to protect the two, but it didn't bother him on such a level that he would stop. Which was odd since five minutes ago he was debating using them as sonic missiles at the idiots hunting him. The two had a set of lungs on them that was for sure.

Watching the two new comers, the now flustered lion man and the amused girl, he decided he didn't have to kill those two. Though he did perk up at the mention of food. The girl -he was pretty sure Jeri was her name- patted Mako on the head and wiggled free from the lion's hold before magically pulling the good smelling nutrients from a square box. Yep, he was keeping the three kids, they made food pop out of nowhere.

Making eye contact with the lion man, Beelzebub decided that he could use an extra set of hands looking out for the three cream puffs. Tilting his head up and shrugging his shoulders he kept eye contact til the other silently nodded back. Snorting he set Ai down and followed her to the food, his stomach growling loudly.

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><p>This was supposed to be a one shot but then I realized that this monster was going to be over 10k words, so I made it a multi-chapter story. I'm working on getting my degree so updates will be slow, and if I go on hiatus I apologize in advance. I think I can use the 50 sentence challenge to get muses back, we'll see in a bit.<p>

Thanks for reading, have an awesome day!


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